Dr. Benjamin Carson
9:00 a.m. Ceremony Speaker
Benjamin S. Carson had a childhood dream of becoming a physician. But growing up in a single-parent home, and being challenged by dire poverty, poor grades as an elementary school student, a horrible temper and low self-esteem, appeared to preclude the realization of that dream until his mother, with only a third-grade education, challenged her sons to strive for excellence. Young Ben persevered, and today is a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, where he has directed pediatric neurosurgery for nearly a quarter of a century.
Dr. Carson's career highlights include the first separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head in 1987, the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa and the first successful placement of an intrauterine shunt for a hydrocephalic twin. Although Carson has performed numerous surgeries of noteworthy medical skill, he believes that every case is uniquely deserving of maximum attention. He is interested in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery, and has a special interest in trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain) in adults.
Carson holds more than 40 honorary doctoral degrees. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Horatio Alger Society of Distinguished Americans and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on the board of directors of numerous organizations, including Kellogg Co., Costco Wholesale Corp. and the Academy of Achievement, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corporation, the governing body of Yale University. He was appointed in 2004 by President George W. Bush to serve on the President's Council on Bioethics. He is a highly regarded motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences, from school systems and civic groups to corporations and the President's National Prayer Breakfast.
In 2001, Carson was named by CNN and Time magazine as one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "Living Legends" on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP, among literally hundreds of other awards and honors. In 2007, Christian Booksellers presented him with its Platinum Award for selling 1 million copies of his autobiography, "Gifted Hands."
Carson is also president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The fund operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. He also co-founded Angels of the OR, which provides grants to assist families with non-covered medical care expenses. Both programs are expanding nationally.
His four books, "Gifted Hands," "Think Big," "The Big Picture" and "Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose and Live with Acceptable Risk," provide inspiration and insight for leading a successful life. Carson has been married for more than 30 years to his wife, Candy, and is the father of three sons. His mother, Sonya Carson, who made all this possible, is alive and well.
